In this newsletter, learn about how partnerships in Scott County are stabilizing Sand Creek's stream banks. Also covered: mostly landowner partnerships cleaned McMahon Lake to the point it was delisted from the MPCA Impaired Waters List. Learn more...

We invite you to learn how to become part of clean water solutions today using an interactive online tool called a story map. Click here to learn more..

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Scott WMO announces 2018 Mini Grants Water Stewards Program

Mini Grants are available to fund water quality related projects. Homeowners, businesses, homeowner/condo associations, neighborhood groups, and nonprofits may apply for grants up to $2,500 per project. For more information on applicant and project eligibility, please visit the Watershed Stewards Grant webpage.

Applications will be accepted until annual grant funds are consumed. This year, SWMO has $5,000 total for this program. Applications may be submitted by physical mail or email.

Lake O’Dowd and McMahon (Carl’s) Lake are both getting cleaner!

Good news! Scott WMO can now definitively say that both Lake O’Dowd and McMahon Lake are getting cleaner. Lake O’Dowd is located in the Louisville Township and in southwest portions of the City of Shakopee. McMahon Lake is located in the southeast corner of Spring Lake Township.

As you can see in the below graphs, Lake O’Dowd has been improving since about 2007. Lake McMahon has seen mostly improvements since around 2008. The graphs both show a reduction in the nutrient, Phosphorus. Phosphorus is one of three parameters used to measure water clarity and cleanliness. Phosphorus impacts both of the other two parameters: chlorophyll-a levels (chl-a in the graph below) and transparency of the water (secchi in the below graph). Cholorphyll-a is a plant pigment and is used to measure the amount of algae. Excess phosphorus causes algae and other plants to overgrow resulting in green and scummy water (high levels of chl-a). In order for plant and animal communities in lakes to thrive, they need clean water.

The lakes are likely improving because:

Landowners surrounding the lakes have participated in both water quality monitoring and lake improvements, like native shoreline stabilizations. Please see the McMahon (Carl’s) Lake Improvement factsheet for more information.

Much of the agricultural land draining to the lakes has been converted to large-lot residential (to view the changes between 1964 and 2015, please use this Land Use Map Viewer). Large residential lots are better for water quality than both farmland and large urban areas because they maintain longer-living vegetation throughout the year. Farmlands typically lack vegetation for much of the year. Bare soil inevitably runs off into waterbodies, adding both sediment and nutrients. Large urban areas often contain more paved surfaces, like roads and sidewalks, which increase stormwater run-off. In many cases, stormwater run-off is not filtered prior to draining into lakes and rivers. So, stormwater drains can directly carry pollutants to our waterbodies.

Both lakes are being treated for Curlyleaf Pondweed, which is an invasive plant that adds phosphorus into the lakes when it dies. Both lakes have reduced levels of the invasive plant compared to ten years ago. Please see our annual reports for more information on Curly-leaf Pondweed treatment and reduction.

Lastly, over ten years ago fertilizers containing phosphorus were banned from use within the metropolitan area. Fertilizer and lawn clippings can easily run-off into storm drains and collect in lakes and rivers, which can greatly increase phosphorus levels. The downward trend in phosphorus levels shown in the two graphs above suggest that when residents stopped using fertilizers containing phosphorus, water quality improved in both lakes.

What happens now?

Both Lake O’Dowd and McMahon Lake now meet water quality standards for all three parameters. Therefore, the Scott WMO requested removal of both lakes from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Impaired Waters listing. UPDATE: the MPCA has agreed to remove McMahon from the 2016 list and is considering delisting O'Dowd in the 2018 list.

We can all enjoy the benefits of clean water: a clear look, healthier plant and animal communities, and probably fewer recreational disruptions (such as restrictions on swimming or fishing due to bacteria outbreaks).

This is clearly a win, and we can all thank those residents living on both lakes for practicing good environmental stewardship. However, maintaining clean lakes will require continued water quality monitoring and dedication to managing best practices (like native shoreline stabilizations).

Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) relies on local government partners, like Scott WMO, to help deliver water conservation programs such as those funded by the Clean Water Fund. Scott WMO uses Clean Water Funds to complete projects ranging from rain gardens to ravine stabilizations along county highways. Each year BWSR audits several partners to test if they deliver effective water management with integrity. This year, Scott WMO was audited.

BWSR finished the Scott WMO audit on August 24th, 2015. BWSR rates Scott WMO a top performer for water management with only two suggestions for improvement. BWSR commends Scott WMO for meeting 11 out of 12 High Performance Standards. A survey of Scott WMO partners reports that 92 percent believe their relationship with Scott WMO is strong and beneficial.